World’s elite cyclists to compete in Pune from Monday for historic LA Olympic Qualifier

Pune, Jan 18 (PTI) The Bajaj Pune Grand Tour 2026, which offers 2028 Los Angeles Olympics qualification points and features 164 riders from 28 teams across 35 countries, will be flagged off here on Monday.

The event marks country’s first-ever Continental multi-stage Road Race for Men and is classified as a Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) 2.2 international competition.

With its inclusion under the UCI framework, the Grand Tour marks India’s official entry into the global professional cycling calendar.

Owing to its UCI classification, the Grand Tour will offer riders the opportunity to earn valuable ranking points that count toward qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics.

The competition is scheduled to begin on Monday, with Prologue -- to record reach riders' individual time travel -- will decide the pole positions ahead of the opening (Stage 1) race day.

Morocco’s team Sidi Ali Unlocks Sports Team (UCI world ranked 157) has pulled out of the event due to unforeseen reasons, leaving the field of riders to 164 from 28 teams, representing 35 countries across five continents who will take the start line.

Despite the absence of Morocco, India still holds a rare milestone of having largest field of riders, unprecedented for a UCI 2.2 category race. Typically, this classification race features around 125 riders.

For the inaugural year of Grand Tour, Asia will have the largest representation of 78 riders, followed by 69 from Europe, along with strong representation from Oceania, the Americas, and Africa, underscoring the global stature of the event.

Spain’s Burgos Burpellet BH enters the Grand Tour as the crowd favourites. Ranked 29th in the world, they are the only ProTeam-level squad in the field and regularly compete at cycling’s high-tier races, including the Vuelta a España.

Challenging for top spot will be China’s Li Ning Star (world ranking 33) and Malaysia’s Terengganu Cycling Team (world ranking 38), expecting for a photo-finish to claim inaugural Pune Trophy.

The top six UCI World Ranking Participation in the Grand Tour are Burgos Burpellet BH, Spain (29); Li Ning Star, China (33), Terengganu Cycling Team (38), Rojai Insurance Winspace (44), Quick Pro Team, Estonia (68) and Tarteletto-Isorex, Belgium (78).

The Indian challenge will be led by the peloton of the national team comprising experienced riders including Sahil Kumar (Haryana), Dinesh Kumar (Haryana), Surya Thathu (Maharashtra), Vishwajeet Singh (Punjab), Harshveer Singh Sikhon (Punjab), M Naveen John (Karnataka).

The inclusion of the Indian Development Team will allow the country's second team to gain in experience and grow in confidence for future progressive races.

For Indian cyclists, the Grand Tour represents a rare opportunity to compete against top international teams on home soil. Exposure to elite race dynamics, professional team tactics, and UCI-level competition is expected to play a critical role in bridging the gap between domestic racing and the global circuit. PTI PDS PDS DDV